Saturday, August 22, 2009

What is considered a genius IQ score?

When you talk about IQ tests you need to understand how they are measured. You need to understand a few words here.Mean = average.Bell curve = a line drawn on a graph that looks similar to a bell.Standard deviation = a distance that is measured away from the mean or average.Let me explain.The average score of an IQ test is usually 100. That is the mean.For many tests, the standard deviation is 15. Others have different standard deviations.This information now explains a few things.You move 1 standard deviation in each direction from 100. So you go 100-15=85 and you go 100+15=115.This gives you a range of 85 to 115. In a bell curve this means that 68% of all people score between 85 and 115 on the IQ. Half of that is 34%. So 100 to 115 is 34% of people.I am probably losing you a bit now.Basically you go 4 standard deviations in each direction.1 deviation is 68% of all scores. From 85 to 115.2 deviations are 95% of all scores. From 70 to 130.3 deviations are 99.7% of all scores. From 55 to 145.4 deviations are 99.99% of all scores. From 40 to 160.Most groups would consider that an IQ of 160 and above is at a genius level. That equates to 1 out of 10,000 people.There are different tests and different scores to reach but the majority of the information I have written here applies.By the way, an average IQ and a great work ethic and dedication to succeed will secure you success in life.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Indians earn 20 times less than developed world peers

Indians might be known for their hard work but when it comes to their wages, they are paid nearly 20 times less than their counterparts in developed nations like the US and Switzerland. According to 'Prices and Earnings' study by Swiss banking major UBS, workers in New Delhi and Mumbai earn an average net salary of $1.6 and $1.2 per hour, respectively. In contrast, Swiss cities -- Zurich and Geneva -- have topped the charts with the highest average net incomes in the world of as much as $22.60 and $20.40 per hour. "Swiss workers earn the most. Zurich and Geneva top the rankings in our international comparison of wages. By contrast, the average employee in Delhi, Manila, Jakarta and Mumbai earns less than one-fifteenth of that amount," the report stated. Workers in the US also earn at the higher end of bracket with people in New York earning an average salary of $19 per hour, while those in Los Angeles get $13.90 per hour. Workers in London receive an average net wage of $13.90 per hour, it added. In terms of the gross hourly wages, workers in Western Europe and North America have the highest gross hourly wages averaging at $20.2 and $21.0 respectively, the survey said. While, in Asia and Eastern Europe, workers receive an average of $5.5 per hour before taxes and social security contributions are deducted from the salary.

Courtesy: ET

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Remedies to avoid swine flu

1.Have five duly washed leaves of Tulsi (known as Basil in English; medicinal name Ocimum sanctum) everyday in the morning. Tulsi has a large number of therapeutic properties. It keeps throat and lungs clear and helps in infections by way of strengthening your immunity.

2. Giloi (medicinal name Tinospora cordifolia) is a commonly available plant in many areas. Take a one-foot long branch of giloi, add five to six leaves of Tulsi and boil in water for 15-20 minutes or long enough to allow the water to extract its properties. Add black pepper and sendha (salt used during religious fasts), rock or black salt, or Misri (crystalised sugar like lumps to make it sweet) according to taste. Let it cool a bit and drink this kadha (concoction) while still warm. It will work wonders for your immunity. If giloi plant is not available, get processed giloi powder from Hamdard or others, and concoct a similar drink once a day.
3. A small piece of camphor (kapoor) approximately the size of a tablet should be taken once or twice a month. It can be swallowed with water by adults while children can take it along with mashed potatoes or banana because they will find it difficult to have it without any aides. Please remember camphor is not to be taken everyday, but only once each season, or once a month.

4. Those who can take garlic, must have two pods of raw garlic first thing in the morning. To be swallowed daily with lukewarm water. Garlic too strengthens immunity like the earlier measures mentioned.

5. Those not allergic to milk, must take a glass of hot or lukewarm milk every night with a small measure of haldi (turmeric).

6. Aloe vera (gwarpatha) too is a commonly available plant. Its thick and long, cactus-like leaves have an odourless gel. A teaspoon gel taken with water daily can work wonders for not only your skin and joint pains, but also boost immunity.

7. Take homeopathic medicines - Pyrogenium 200 and Inflenzium 200 in particular - five tablets three times a day, or two-three drops three times a day. While these are not specifically targeted at H1N1 either, these work well as preventive against common flu virus.

8. Do Pranayam daily (preferably under guidance if you are already not initiated into it) and go for morning jog/walk regularly to keep your throat and lungs in good condition and body in fine fettle. Even in small measures, it will work wonders for your body’s resistance against all such diseases which attack the nose, throat and lungs, besides keeping you fit.

9. Have citrus fruits, particularly Vitamin C rich Amla (Indian gooseberry) juice. Since fresh Amla is not yet available in the market (not for another three to four months), it is not a bad idea to buy packaged Amla juice which is commonly available nowadays. 10. Last but not the least, wash your hands frequently every day with soap and warm water for 15-20 seconds; especially before meals, or each time after touching a surface that you suspect could be contaminated with flu virus such as a door handle or a knob/handle, especially if you have returned from a public place or used public transport.Alcohol-based hand cleaners should be kept handy at all times and used until you can get soap and warm water.

SWINE FLU FACT

What are the symptoms?
Swine flu symptoms are similar to the symptoms of regular flu and include fever of over 100.4°F, fatigue, lack of appetite, and cold. Some people with swine flu have also reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms.So, how do you know if you have flu or just cold? There is one clue: when you have the flu, you feel flu symptoms sooner than you would cold symptoms, and they come on with much greater intensity. With the flu, you may feel very weak and fatigued for up to 2 or 3 weeks. You'll have muscle aches and periods of chills and sweats as fever comes and goes. You may also have a stuffy or runny nose, headache, and sore throat. Can I compare flu symptoms with cold symptoms? Yes. The following chart can help you compare flu symptoms with cold symptoms. Use it to lean the differences and similarities between flu and cold symptoms. Then, if you get flu symptoms, call your doctor and ask about an antiviral drug.
You cannot confirm if you have swine flu just based on your symptoms. Like seasonal flu, pandemic swine flu can cause neurologic symptoms in children. These events are rare, but, as cases associated with seasonal flu have shown, they can be very severe and often fatal.Doctors may offer a rapid flu test, but what you need to understand is a negative result doesn't necessarily mean you don't have the flu. Only lab tests can definitively show whether you've got swine flu. State health departments can do these tests.
What should you do immediately?
Those of you who have travelled from the affected countries in the past ten days and show symptoms swine flu like fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing should immediately contact the telephone number given below or visit the nearby Government Hospital.


What should you do immediately?
Those of you who have travelled from the affected countries in the past ten days and show symptoms swine flu like fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing should immediately contact the telephone number given below or visit the nearby Government Hospital.



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Who is at risk?
Those who are more at risk from becoming seriously ill with swine flu are people with:
chronic (long-term) lung disease, including people who have had drug treatment for their asthma within the past three years,
chronic heart disease,
chronic kidney disease,
chronic liver disease,
chronic neurological disease (neurological disorders include motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis),
suppressed immune systems (whether caused by disease or treatment),
diabetes,
pregnant women,
people aged 65 or older, and
young children under five.


What should you do immediately?
Those of you who have travelled from the affected countries in the past ten days and show symptoms swine flu like fever, cough, sore throat and difficulty in breathing should immediately contact the telephone number given below or visit the nearby Government Hospital.



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Who is at risk?
Those who are more at risk from becoming seriously ill with swine flu are people with:
chronic (long-term) lung disease, including people who have had drug treatment for their asthma within the past three years,
chronic heart disease,
chronic kidney disease,
chronic liver disease,
chronic neurological disease (neurological disorders include motor neurone disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis),
suppressed immune systems (whether caused by disease or treatment),
diabetes,
pregnant women,
people aged 65 or older, and
young children under five.


How does it spread?
The new swine flu virus is highly contagious, that is it spreads from person to person. The virus is spread through the droplets that come out of the nose or mouth when someone coughs or sneezes. If someone coughs or sneezes and they do not cover it, those droplets can spread about one metre (3ft). If you are very nearby you might breathe them in.Or, if someone coughs or sneezes into their hand, those droplets and the virus within them are easily transferred to surfaces that the person touches, such as door handles, hand rails, telephones and keyboards. If you touch these surfaces and touch your face, the virus can enter your system, and you can become infected.


Can it be prevented?
Influenza antiviral drugs also can be used to prevent influenza when they are given to a person who is not ill, but who has been or may be near a person with swine influenza. When used to prevent the flu, antiviral drugs are about 70% to 90% effective. When used for prevention, the number of days that they should be used will vary depending on a person’s particular situation.Follow this general procedure to reduce the risk of catching or spreading the virus, you should:
Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, using a tissue
Throw the tissue away quickly and carefully
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
Clean hard surfaces (like door handles and remote controls) frequently with a normal cleaning product
Keep away from others as much as possible. This is to keep from making others sick. Do not go to work or school while ill
Stay home for at least 24 hours after fever is gone, except to seek medical care or for other necessities. (Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.)
Drink clear fluids (such as water, broth, sports drinks, electrolyte beverages for infants) to keep from being dehydrated
Wear a facemask – if available and tolerable – when sharing common spaces with other household members to help prevent spreading the virus to others.


Will it help to wear a mask?
Information on the effectiveness of facemasks and respirators for decreasing the risk of influenza infection in community settings is extremely limited. So, it is difficult to assess their potential effectiveness in decreasing the risk of Swine Flu virus transmission in these settings. However, a well-fitted, FDA-approved mask together with other preventive measures MAY reduce the risk of contracting the flu. Those who are sick or caring for someone who is ill should consider using a mask or respirator if leaving the house becomes necessary.

What precautions should one take at home?
Two things - soap and water can reduce the chance of infection by 30 per cent. All you need to do is keep washing your hand with soap and water frequently. Wash hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand cleaner when soap and water are not available. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouthEat healthy: Proteins are essential to help your body maintain and build strength. Lean meat, poultry, fish, legumes, dairy, eggs, and nuts and seeds are good sources of protein.The Food and Drug Administration recommends that adults eat 50 grams of protein per day. Pregnant and nursing women need more. By eating foods high in protein, we also get the benefit of other healing nutrients such as vitamins B6 and B12, both of which contribute to a healthy immune system.Vitamin B6 is widely available in foods, including protein foods such as turkey and beans as well as potatoes, spinach, and enriched cereal grains. Proteins such as meats, milk, and fish also contain vitamin B12, a powerful immune booster.Minerals such as selenium and zinc work to keep the immune system strong. These minerals are found in protein rich foods such as beans, nuts, meat, and poultry.Exercise: Regular exercise may help prevent the flu. According to recent findings, when moderate exercise is repeated on a near daily basis, there is a cumulative immune-enhancing effect. That is, your strong immune system can fight flu better. When you exercise, your white blood cells -- the blood cells that fight infections in the body -- travel through your body more quickly, fighting bacteria and viruses (such as flu) more efficiently. To maintain good health, experts recommend at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity such as walking, swimming, biking, or running each day.
What precautions should one take at schools?
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
People who are sick with an influenza-like illness should stay home and keep away from others as much as possible, including avoiding travel, for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine). Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
Wash your hands often.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
Is it safe to travel?
Avoid traveling unnecessarily. However, if you must travel, check how the country you're going to handles swine flu. Although, the WHO doesn't recommend travel restrictions, many countries have set up their own H1N1 policies, and some travelers have been screened or quarantined in other countries because of swine flu concerns.

Friday, August 7, 2009

My Guru -Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: The Great Investment Philosopher in my life

My principles of life and future path could be different if I couldn't come across Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala.One memorable evening I was engaged in deep chatting with my dearest friend Nikhil and he told me about Mr. Jhunjhunwala.I was so impressed after listening the full story of Mr.Jhunjhunwala.I decided to join Praj Industries Ltd (my previous company) and one day I came across my philosopher. Everything in my life has been changed drastically. I never ever had a thought to go with investment thesis. First time I am feeling happy and proudly to elaborate some of thoughts of my "guru”. I had different mentality and wrong impression about stock exchange and investment policies. I started to do stock market analysis in the year of 2002 and I put my strong foot print on investment world in the year of 2005.
I would be happy if I define stock market investment in terms of "intelligent investment".

Mr. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is a famous Indian trader who is often referred as “Indian Warren Buffett”. He believed in the “India story” made a good fortune from it. He is not only a trader but also a successful investor. He spotted opportunities in good companies like Praj Industries, Pantaloon Retail, Titan, CRISIL, Lupin and Punj Lloyd.etc when no one was interested in them.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala (RJ) stated investing career in 1983 and used to put in 15-16 working hours in his early days. His company name is “Rare Enterprises”. He was ranked at 1,062 in the Forbes Billionaire list. Like Warren Buffett, he was fond of stocks from his childhood days. He was nicknamed as “Young Tiger” in the early 90’s (Harshad Mehta days).
Profession: Chartered Accountant.
Passion: Stock Markets.

Biggest award: One of India's best five investors by Business India magazine in 1998.
His wealth: Around Rs 5,000 crore. He started his investing career with Rs 5,000.
His assets: Passion and confidence.

Success secrets:
1. He rarely invests in index stocks. He is an expert in picking value stocks when no one is noticed them. He invested in stocks like BEML and other PSU Stocks when everyone looked at technology stocks in early 2000.
2. Confine your portfolio to 15-20 stocks. Invest for long term to get good returns.
3. Stay away from cyclical stocks.
4. To get exceptional returns, you need to take risks.
5. He generally stays away from commodity stocks and index stocks. But he recently bought some steel stocks.
6. Like Jack Welch of GE, he believes in extensive reading and learning.

Famous quotes:

1. Markets are like women -- always commanding, mysterious, unpredictable and volatile.
2. Anticipate trend and benefit from it. Traders should go against human nature.
3. Don’t insult the great man (Warren Buffett) by comparing me to him.
4. Successful investors are opportunistic and optimistic ones.
5. Growth comes out of chaos.
6. Market is above individuals. The market is rational. An individual can never be smarter than the market
7. Maximize profits and minimize losses.
8. Invest in a business not a company.
9. Emotional investment is a sure way to make loss in stock markets.
10. I don’t advice anybody. I don’t manage anybody’s money.

15 Stock investment tips from Rakesh Jhunjhunwala:

1. Always go against tide. Buy when others are selling and sell when others are buying.
2. If you believe in the growth prospects of a company, invest in the stock and give it sufficient time.
3. Be an optimist. Pessimistic investors always lose money in stock markets.
4. Greedy investors will never make money in stock markets. Book profits after reaching your target price.
5. Never put your hard earned money without proper research. Never invest according to “Stock tips”.
6. You have to lose many a battle to win the war. This Winston Churchill quote is always quoted by Jhunjhunwala. Balance fear and greed.
7. Never react and change your investment decisions according to daily business news. Panic selling is a bad habit.
8. Hastily taken decisions always result in heavy losses. Take your own time before putting money in any stock.
9. Invest in companies which have strong management and competitive advantage. 10. Stock markets are always right. Never time the markets.
11. Opportunities will come and go. Are you prepared to grab them?
12. Never invest at unreasonable valuations. Never run for companies which are in limelight.
13. Passionate investors always make money in stock markets. You will never fail in any work if you do it with passion.
14. Means are important. Read and analyse the available information with an open mind and look for opportunities.
15. Prepare for losses. Losses are part and parcel of stock market investor life. Learn from mistakes. Learn to take a loss. Disciplined passionate investors like Rakesh Jhunjhunwala are always inspirational figures for young investors. One can make a good fortune in stock markets if you follow his investment ideas and principles.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

QIP: Fundamentals

What is QIP?
Qualified institutional placement (QIP) is a capital raising tool, whereby a listed company can issue equity shares, fully and partly convertible debentures, or any securities other than warrants, which are convertible into equity shares, to a qualified institutional buyer (QIB). Apart from preferential allotment, this is the only other speedy method of private placement for companies to raise money. It scores over other methods, as it does not involve many of the common procedural requirements, such as the submission of pre-issue filings to the market regulator.
Why was QIP introduced?
To enable listed companies raise money from domestic markets in a short span of time, market regulator Sebi introduced the concept of QIP in 2006. This was also done to prevent listed companies in India from developing an excessive dependence on foreign capital. Prior to introduction of QIPs, the complications associated with raising capital in the domestic markets had led many companies to look at tapping overseas markets via foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCB) and global depository receipts (GDR). This has also helped issuing companies price their issues closer to the prevailing market price.
Who can participate in the issue?
The specified securities can be issued only to QIBs, who shall not be promoters or related to promoters of the issuer. The issue is managed by a Sebi-registered merchant banker. There is no pre-issue filing of the placement document with Sebi. The placement document is placed on the websites of the stock exchanges and the issuer, with appropriate disclaimer to the effect that the placement is meant only for QIBs on private placement basis and is not an offer to the public.

Why there is a sudden rush for QIPs?
Several companies, especially real estate, were starved of money in the recent slowdown and were finding it difficult to stay afloat. The revival in market sentiment came as a boon to these companies, which are rushing to raise money, mainly to retire expensive debt and restructure their balance sheets. In over a month, funds raised through QIPs by companies has already exceeded the total amount of roughly Rs 3,500 crore that was raised in 2008. A large number of such issues are expected to hit the market in the next few weeks.
Why there is a sudden rush for QIPs?
Several companies, especially real estate, were starved of money in the recent slowdown and were finding it difficult to stay afloat. The revival in market sentiment came as a boon to these companies, which are rushing to raise money, mainly to retire expensive debt and restructure their balance sheets. In over a month, funds raised through QIPs by companies has already exceeded the total amount of roughly Rs 3,500 crore that was raised in 2008. A large number of such issues are expected to hit the market in the next few weeks.